The Best Soup in the Waimak

What better way to warm the cockles than a steaming bowl of winter soup? It's healthy, nutritious and warming to the bone. We've found a variety of some of the best soups in the Waimak to tantalise your tastebuds.

Oh and if you are a fan of the famous Southern cheese roll then we've included THE best recipe (tried and tested by us and made by a true Southlander)! No better accompaniment to a bowl of hearty soup!

6 Kingsford Smith Drive, Southbrook, Rangiora

Anna’s Soup at Kingsford Kitchen - We believe soup warms the heart and soul. Here at Kingsford Kitchen you will find the soup of the day as part of our blackboard menu. Kingsford Kitchen’s chef, Anna, is continuously updating our soup with seasonal local ingredients, keeping it flavoursome and fresh. The handmade bread served still warm from the oven on the side always helps mop up the bottom of the bowl!

We recommend a seat by the fire plus a warm latte while your soup is prepared. Kingsford Kitchen is a daytime eatery offering fresh, contemporary, creative, flavoursome, New Zealand cuisine.

Cnr Pegasus Boulevard & Main Street, Pegasus Town

Roasted Swede Soup is the flavour of the day at Flat White Cafe. Made with much love using swede, onion, carrot, thyme and garlic this soup is then finished with cream to give it just the right balance to dip your crusty bread! Flat White offers a variety of soup depending on the day.

Flat White Cafe is a haven away from the hustle and bustle of the City, only 20 minutes North of Christchurch. Their focus is on fresh and seasonal ingredients and the majority of their food is made on site.

1697 Cust Road, Cust

Route 72 offers something slightly different in Pasta in a Soup - durum noodles, pickled ginger, stir fry vegetables and wakame seaweed immersed in a delicious mild yellow curry coconut soup – served with toasted seeduction bread and garlic herb butter. This can be served on it’s own or topped with sesame and lemon peppered calamari OR topped with bbq’d chicken teriyaki - your choice!

Come and enjoy the vibrant atmosphere downstairs created by the open kitchen and friendly staff. With the choice of savory snacks and mouth watering meals, home baking and decadent desserts, coffees, liquors, breakfast and more, the staff at Route 72 look forward to seeing you.

Gables Arcade, 96 High Street, Rangiora

Known for their fresh and seasonal fare, Reality Bites certainly do not disappoint with their thick and hearty Roasted Red Capsicum & Tomato Soup. So tomato-ey and delicious with hints of garlic, herbs and capsicum you cannot go past this one. Served with bread of your choice, this is a real fave for these guys!

Reality Bites are a cafe with a conscience. They focus on local, organic & seasonal with the widest range in Rangiora of healthy options.

Quick & Easy Southern Cheese Rolls

Take the fresh thinnest bread you can find. The softer the bread the easier to roll. You can buy a supermarket loaf or go to your favourite bakery that can slice the bread for you. Find a loaf of uncut bread and instead of cutting it from side to side, cut it from end to end so you have really long slices.

You will need:

• Cheddar cheese, tasty if poss, grated. About two cups-ish, depending on how many you want to make• A packet of dry onion soup mix• Hot water or milk.

What you do:

Put the cheese in a bowl and add the soup mix

Add the hot water/milk a bit at a time and mix up. The more you add, the more you will see the cheese melt and the soup mix in.

When it is a thick spread, like crunchy peanut butter type consistency, stop adding hot water/milk.

Now with a butter knife, spread the cheese mixture onto the bread, all the way into the corners, not too thick but not too thin. Southlanders aren’t stingy nor wasteful.

Once you have done a few slices, pick up the bread and roll then place on the surface roll side down.

Pop under a hot grill, and when you start smell toast, turn them over.

Take out once both sides are cooked and SMOTHER in butter. EAT!

You can also pack the bread bag the bread came in with the cheese rolls and freeze them, taking them out when needed.

Variations:

Coat your cheese in flour before adding to hot milk on a pot in the oven